{read: Pulitzer winner} The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson

I reviewed The Orphan Master's Son in 2012, and it was one of my favorite books of that year. It's not a quick read, but its portrait of daily life in North Korea is captivating, and the plot has twists I didn't see coming. There's even some humor, especially when we readers learn how North Koreans view us. If you haven't read it yet, it's definitely worth your time. I'm glad to see it won the Pulitzer for fiction (awards were announced Monday).

Check out my original review for more details.

{read: My TBR shelf} What's up next?

Sometimes my TBR shelf threatens to take over the rest of my bookshelves. Books that were once neatly organized end up in haphazard stacks anywhere there's room to squeeze them in. If you're looking for a sneak peek at what I'm reading this spring, here it is!

Reading now: Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
The largest part of the North American Monarch butterfly population has ended up in the Appalachians in Tennessee instead of in Mexico where they usually spend the winter. While some local residents view this as a miracle, others (who had planned to log the land to pay overdue bills) are less impressed. Scientists who have arrived to study the butterflies are working against time, since the butterflies will likely freeze to death without having a chance to lay their eggs. This story, told mostly through the viewpoint of 28-year-old and mother-of-two Dellarobia, is oddly compelling and hard to put down.

Up next:  
The Comfort of Lies by Randy Susan Myers
In the Kingdom of Men by Kim Barnes
Code Name Verity by Kim Wein
Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman

What are you reading this spring?